CBSE Class 10 English First Flight : How to Tell Wild Animals Summary

Here you will get summary of poem How to Tell Wild Animals in Hindi and English. Alongwith summary you will also get poetic/literary devices used in poem and hard/difficult words. Hope this helps you in your studies!

More resources for class 10:

Chapterwise NCERT Solutions For Class 10 Science

CBSE Class 10 Science Chapterwise Notes

Chapterwise NCERT Solutions For Class 10 Social Science

CBSE Class 10 Social Science Chapterwise Notes

Chapterwise NCERT Solutions For Class 10 Sanskrit

CBSE Class 10 Sanskrit Chapterwise Summary

Chapterwise NCERT Solutions For Class 10 English

CBSE Class 10 English - First Flight Poem Summaries

CBSE Class 10 English First Flight : How to Tell Wild Animals Summary

    How to Tell Wild Animals Poem 

    If ever you should go by chance
    To jungles in the east;
    And if there should to you advance
    A large and tawny beast,
    If he roars at you as you’re dyin’
    You’ll know it is the Asian Lion…

    Or if some time when roaming round,
    A noble wild beast greets you,
    With black stripes on a yellow ground,
    Just notice if he eats you.
    This simple rule may help you learn
    The Bengal Tiger to discern.

    If strolling forth, a beast you view,
    Whose hide with spots is peppered,
    As soon as he has lept on you,
    You’ll know it is the Leopard.
    ’Twill do no good to roar with pain,
    He’ll only lep and lep again.

    If when you’re walking round your yard
    You meet a creature there,
    Who hugs you very, very hard,
    Be sure it is a Bear.
    If you have any doubts, I guess
    He’ll give you just one more caress.

    Though to distinguish beasts of prey
    A novice might nonplus,
    The Crocodile you always may
    Tell from the Hyena thus:
    Hyenas come with merry smiles;
    But if they weep they’re Crocodiles.

    The true Chameleon is small,
    A lizard sort of thing;
    He hasn’t any ears at all,
    And not a single wing.
    If there is nothing on the tree,
    ’Tis the chameleon you see.

    By Carolyn Wells

    How to Tell Wild Animals Summary  

    • The poem is a lighthearted take on the different ways in which one can identify different wild animals based on their distinctive characteristics.
    • The poem starts with the speaker advising the readers on how to identify different wild animals, starting with the lion. 
    • The poem then moves on to other animals, such as the tiger, and the bear, each of which is described with a witty and humorous tone.
    • The speaker notes how the lion has a mane and a roar that is loud and fierce, while the tiger is striped and agile, with a love for hunting. 
    • The speaker says that if the reader met an animal that has black spotted skin and it at once jumps on him, then it means that the reader has met a leopard. 
    • The bear is described as clumsy and slow, with a fondness for honey. 
    • The speaker asks a question to the readers that do they know how to recognize beasts that hunt their prey. Here the poet explains about hyenas which she thinks have a smiling face and the crocodiles that have tears in their eyes. This can be seen when they are killing their prey. 
    • The last one in the list is the Chameleon. The poet says that it is a lizard – like creature which doesn’t have ears and wings just like a lizard. Only this can help you differentiate between a lizard and chameleon. The poet further says that the chameleon has a quality of changing its color according to the colour of the surface. 
    • The poem ends with a humorous twist, as the speaker advises the readers on how to identify humans as the most dangerous and unpredictable wild animal of them all.
    • The poem serves as a lighthearted reminder of the diversity of the animal kingdom and the importance of understanding and respecting the natural world.
    • The poem highlights the importance of respecting and understanding the natural world and serves as a reminder of the need to coexist with wildlife in a responsible and sustainable manner.

    How to Tell Wild Animals Summary in Hindi

    • यह कविता अलग-अलग तरीकों पर प्रकाश डालती है जिसमें कोई भी विशिष्ट विशेषताओं के आधार पर विभिन्न जंगली जानवरों की पहचान कर सकता है।
    • इस कविता की शुरुआत वक्ता द्वारा पाठकों को विभिन्न जंगली जानवरों की पहचान करने की सलाह देने से होती है, जिसकी शुरुआत शेर से होती है।
    • इसके बाद कविता अन्य जानवरों की ओर बढ़ती है, जैसे कि बाघ, और भालू, जिनमें से प्रत्येक को मजाकिया और विनोदी स्वर के साथ वर्णित किया गया है।
    • वक्ता नोट करता है कि कैसे शेर के पास एक अयाल और दहाड़ है जो जोर से और भयंकर है, जबकि बाघ धारीदार और फुर्तीला है, शिकार के लिए प्यार करता है।
    • वक्ता का कहना है कि यदि पाठक काले धब्बे वाली त्वचा वाले किसी जानवर से मिला है और वह तुरंत उस पर कूद जाता है, तो इसका मतलब है कि पाठक तेंदुए से मिला है।
    • शहद के शौकीन भालू को अनाड़ी और धीमा बताया गया है।
    • वक्ता पाठकों से एक सवाल पूछता है कि क्या वे अपने शिकार का शिकार करने वाले जानवरों को पहचानना जानते हैं। यहाँ कवयित्री हाइना के बारे में बताती है जिसके बारे में वह सोचती है कि उसका चेहरा मुस्कुराता है और मगरमच्छ जिनकी आँखों में आँसू हैं। यह तब देखा जा सकता है जब वे अपने शिकार को मार रहे होते हैं।
    • सूची में सबसे आखिरी में गिरगिट है। कवि कहता है कि यह एक छिपकली जैसा प्राणी है जिसके कान नहीं होते और छिपकली की तरह पंख नहीं होते। केवल यही आपको छिपकली और गिरगिट के बीच अंतर करने में मदद कर सकता है। कवि आगे कहते हैं कि गिरगिट में सतह के रंग के अनुसार अपना रंग बदलने का गुण होता है।
    • कविता एक विनोदी मोड़ के साथ समाप्त होती है, क्योंकि वक्ता पाठकों को सलाह देता है कि मनुष्य को सबसे खतरनाक और अप्रत्याशित जंगली जानवर के रूप में कैसे पहचाना जाए।
    • यह कविता जानवरों के साम्राज्य की विविधता और प्राकृतिक दुनिया को समझने और सम्मान करने के महत्व के हल्के दिल से अनुस्मारक के रूप में कार्य करती है।
    • यह कविता प्राकृतिक दुनिया का सम्मान करने और समझने के महत्व पर प्रकाश डालती है और एक जिम्मेदार और टिकाऊ तरीके से वन्यजीवों के साथ सह-अस्तित्व की आवश्यकता की याद दिलाती है।

    How to Tell Wild Animals Literary Devices 

    1. Rhyme Scheme

    The rhyme scheme of the poem is 'ababcc'.

    "If strolling forth, a beast you view. a 
    Whose hide with spots is peppered. b
    As soon as he has lept on you, a
    You'll know it is the Leopard. b 
    'Twill do no good to roar with pain. c 
    He'll only lep and lep again." c

    2. Tone

    • The poet narrates the poem in a humorous tone.
    • Her descriptions of how animals like tiger, lion and leopard kill are intended to make us laugh.
    • Her statement about a bear hug is also an example of humorous tone employed in the poem.

    3. Imagery

    • The use of descriptive language by a poet or an author that helps the reader to visualise the pictures in one's mind.
    • Example: The image of the Bengal tiger is created when we read the lines 'A noble beast greets you, with black stripes with a yellow background.

    4. Oxymoron

    • An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines contradictory or opposite terms to create a new phrase that expresses a paradoxical idea.
    • The oxymoron is used in “noble wild beast”.The word “noble” implies a sense of honour, dignity, and grace, while “wild beast” suggests an untamed, savage animal.
    • These two terms are contradictory and create a paradoxical expression, making it an oxymoron.
    • The same can be found in the phrase ‘true Chameleon‘ .

    5. Metaphor

    • This poetic device is used when a covert comparison is made between two different things or ideas.
    • In the poem, the metaphors have been used in an ironical way.
    • roar with pain - the painful voice compared ironically with the roar of a leopard.
    • A noble wild beast - Ironically leopard is shown here as a noble one
    • the term 'caress' is used ironically for a bear's claw attack.

    6. Alliteration

    • Alliteration is the repetition of the same sound that is used in the beginning of the closely placed words.
    • The phrases 'lep and lep again', 'roaming round', 'very, very hard' and 'novice might nonplus' are examples of alliteration in the poem.

    7. Repetition

    Repetition is a poetic device that is used to repeat single words, phrases or even stanzas at intervals.

    • He'll only lep and lep again.
    • Who hugs you very, very hard

    8. Personification

    • This poetic device is used to bestow human qualities on something that is not human.
    • The poet refers to the tiger not as 'it' but as 'he'.
    • In the poem, the ‘hyena’ and ‘crocodile’ have been personified.
    • The human qualities of ‘smiling’ and ‘weeping’ have been given to the hyena and crocodile respectively.

    9. Irony

    Irony is a poetic device that is used by the poets to bring humour or satire on somebody or something. 

    It is done by giving two meanings to a word or a phrase, i.e., surface meaning and underlying meaning.

    • A noble wild beast greets you.
    • He’ll give you just one more caress.

    10. Poetic Licence

    • With the use of poetic licence, the poet not only maintains the rhyme scheme but also creates a humorous effect in the poem.
    • The poet has employed poetic licence in her use of language in the poem. In some stanzas, she has shortened words like ‘lept’, ‘lep’, and ‘dyin’.
    • Also, certain sentences are framed differently in the poem like ‘novice might nonplus’ and ‘if strolling forth, a beast you view’.

    How to Tell Wild Animals Hard Words

    • Tawny : yellowish brown color
    • Noble : high born, aristocratic
    • Discern : recognize
    • Strolling : walking casually
    • Forth : forward
    • Hide : skin of animal
    • Peppered : Here it means the spots
    • Lept (Leapt) : jump towards someone
    • Yard : backyard or the lawn area of a house
    • Caress : A gentle touch
    • Distinguish : Differentiate
    • Beast of Prey : Any animals that hunts other animals for food
    • Novice : Someone new to a job
    • Nonplus : be confused

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